Former NFL Star Antonio Brown Cites ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law in Murder Case

Antonio Brown is citing Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law in an attempt to dismiss the second-degree murder charge against him in Miami.

“Brown’s use of force on May 16, 2025, was fully justified,” a Monday, December 1, motion filed by Brown’s lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, read in part, per ESPN. “Brown reasonably believed that the alleged victim intended to cause him serious harm.”

The Stand Your Ground law took effect in Florida in 2005 and removes “the duty to retreat” before using “deadly force in certain circumstances.” Since 2005, nearly 30 states have followed Florida’s lead and implemented their own Stand Your Ground laws.

Brown’s motion stems from an incident outside a celebrity boxing match in Miami, Florida, after which Brown allegedly stole a security guard’s gun and used it to allegedly try and kill Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu.

According to ESPN, Nantambu’s attorney, Richard Cooper, labeled Brown’s newest defense motion “a farcical reimagining” of the event.

After the May incident, Brown spent six months in the United Arab Emirates, allegedly trying to evade U.S. authorities. He was then extradited from Dubai to New Jersey in November before he was ultimately sent to Miami to face his charge.

In a video of the incident that surfaced earlier this year, Brown can be seen fighting with several people outside the event. According to an arrest warrant issued after the incident, Brown stated at the time that a security guard stepped in to break up the fight when Brown allegedly took his gun.

Witnesses say Brown was the one who allegedly fired the shots that are heard off camera in the video. Two shell casings were found at the scene, but Brown was reportedly unarmed when police detained him.

Brown’s motion from this week accuses Nantambu of previous violence against him, including an alleged jewelry theft. According to the motion, Nantambu spent 30 days in jail because of that incident.

The motion also describes the May event, claiming Brown was trying to get to his car after Nantambu attacked him.

Police say Brown punched Nantambu in the face and when Nantambu walked away, Brown “chases him down and shoots him at point blank range.”

The motion describes the event differently, arguing that Brown “reasonably feared” for his safety and said Nantambu made an “aggressive movement” towards Brown prior to the incident.

“In that moment, Brown again reasonably feared death or great bodily harm,” the motion read, adding that Brown fired two “warning shots” that were aimed away from Nantambu.

After Brown returned to Miami in November, he was released on $25,000 bail and placed on house arrest.

Brown played 12 seasons in the NFL, spending nine of those years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also played briefly for the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was released by the Buccaneers after a 2021 on-field incident in which Brown took off his football pads and uniform and ran off the field.

He won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers in 2020.